Tooth of the Soul
by elven-girl10
Summary: Naruto Characters in a Bleach Setting. A new world, with new possibilities. A world where soul reapers fightto maintain the balance. And in it all, one teenager, just trying to live his life normally. The story is better than the summary. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

_From the desk of Elvengirl10._

** My brain cells are fried.**

Wecome, everyone, to my brand new fanfiction. As stated in the above comment, getting here has taken a long time. Getting the idea, planning, putting it all together, writing, getting interuppted by an english project, losing my brain, finding it. Yeah, it's been a long road.

I won't spend to much time here, as you probably want to get onto my fanfiction and not listen to me babbel. I just want to say a few things regarding the way this story is put together.

It is not Bleach with Naruto characters. It is not Naruto with Bleach characters. It is Naruto characters in a Bleach setting. I want to make this clear, and avoid review saying things like: "What are you going to do for the Soul Society Arc?" or "Why is Orochimaru the captain of team twelve? He and Mayuri are alike." This is my fanfiction. It's not Naruto. It's not Bleach. It is my own idea.

That being said, this story will not be following the Naruto plot or the Bleach plot. Those said plots will affect it, but I'll be following my own ideas. Also, I'm going to be using the terms that are found in the Bleach dub, which to my knowledge aren't any different from the subbed version.

Well, I've said all I needed to. Thanks for reading and please enjoy my fanfiction.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. The idea is mine.

* * *

**Prologue 01. **

* * *

The day was proving to be long.

Orochimaru hated days like this. The type that, no matter how hard you tried to prevent it, seemed to crawl by. When you sat for what you thought was twenty minutes, but turned out to be only five. Irritably, he shifted in his chair and tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. No such luck. 'Sometimes, I wish that stupid hollow would just show up so I could get this mission over and done with already,' he thought, glancing outside, hopefully.

In truth, Orochimaru was a soul reaper, a death god. Someone who's job it was to make sure that all souls passed on to the next life, or the Soul Society. The other part was to defeat Hollows, evil spirits who liked to feed on the souls of humans. Under normal circumstances, most people wouldn't be able to see Orochimaru, and he shouldn't have even been there. However, the Hollow that was causing trouble was proving difficult to find, and therefore needed a little more coaxing. Which explains why Orochimaru was occupying a gigai, an artificial body, sitting in a normal high school class, pretending to listen to a teacher. He'd been the one chosen as bait.

Quite frankly, he didn't think that he was the best one suited for the job. He was the assistant captain of team eight, after all. This wasn't his place. No, this job would have been better for one of the special forces. At least that's what he thought. Both the Commander, and his Captain had thought otherwise, and so he found himself here. He sighed again, and focused his attention towards the class itself. They weren't exactly the best behaved class, but Orochimaru had seen worse during his days at the Academy. He only wished that they would stop asking him questions, or try to get to know him. He was trying to avoid such things, as it would only result in difficulties once he went back to the Soul Society, moreso for him, rather than the other students. His ambiguity had worked on most of his classmates, aside from Jiraiya.

Orochimaru's gaze drifted to other side of the class, where Jiraiya was bent over his desk in supposed concentration. In reality, he was reading manga or something similar most likely. The white haired boy had done nothing but pester Orochimaru with questions since he'd arrived. Where was he from? What was his old school like? Questions like that. Ones that Orochimaru technically couldn't answer without giving away his identity. Even so, Jiraiya didn't seem suspicious of him, and it seemed to come from a genuine friendliness, so Orochimaru put up with it. Jiraiya had proved helpful when several upperclassmen had targeted him for being different.

After what seemed like an eternity, the class finally ended and the lunch break began. Orochimaru shook his head, trying to wake himself up from the half-sleep daze he'd been in.

"Oi, Orochimaru, we're eating on the roof," Jiraiya said, coming over. He stared down at his friend with a grin on his face, the red lines that ran down it streched as far as they could go.

"Alright," Orochimaru replied, still rather tired.

"You know, you could adress me with a little bit more superiority," Jiraiya nodded, leaning against Orochimaru's desk.

"Why? We're in the same class. The only thing you have on me is that you've been here longer."

"I could be older than you. When's your birthday?"

Good question. One, Orochimaru wasn't quite to sure of. He tended to celebrate it from when he had arrived in the Soul Society, and even then it was the Captain who'd pushed the celebration.

"October...twenty-seventh," he said, tentatively. That sounded right.

"Damn. You're older by a few weeks," Jiraiya muttered.

'And several hundred years,' Orochimaru thought, getting up.

* * *

Orochimaru leaned against the wall, eating the small lunch he'd prepared for himself earlier that morning. It had occured to him why Jiraiya was so determined to eat on the roof. His crush, Tsunade, as well as her friends, were also eating up here today. He watched the young blond girl chat aimably with her friends. She was nice enough, but at the same time had a mean temper. Orochimaru had learned that, when she'd caught Jiraiya peeking at her in the public baths. Orochimaru had made a mental note to not incur her wrath anytime soon. He needed his strength for the hollow.

"Stop staring," he said finally. "It's impolite, and you don't want to end up in the nurse's office again."

"She hasn't noticed."

"Yes she has. She's coming over here," Orochimaru said. Tsunade was indeed coming over to them. Jiraiya blushed, trying to think of what to say. Orochimaru sighed.

"Do you need something?" Tsunade asked. Jiraiya opened his mouth, and closed it. Clearly what he was about to say, hadn't sounded that good.

"No, Tsunade. Sorry for bothering you," Orochimaru said, covering for his companion. He didn't exactly consider Jiraiya a friend.

"So, he was just staring at me. Like usual."

"Pretty much."

Tsunade sighed.

"Why do you hang out with him?" She asked. Orochimaru didn't bother responding. He wasn't entirely sure himself, and so the question had become almost rhetorical. Maybe it had been the instant trust that was there since their first meeting. He'd figure it out eventually.

"Jiraiya, did you have something you wanted to say to Tsunade?" he asked, noticing his companion's eyes glaring daggers at him. It annoyed Jiraiya to no end that Orochimaru was able to talk to his crush so easily. However, he recovered quickly.

"Uh...yeah, actually. Tsunade, I was wondering if you wanted to...um...go to the movies with me this weekend?" he asked, as friendly as he could. This, Orochimaru had discovered, was a usual routine. Jiraiya had made it apparent to Tsunade that he liked her rather early on in the school year, and now asking her out occured bi-weekly. Even in his short time of existing at the school, Orochimaru had yet to see Tsunade say yes.

"I'll think about it," Tsunade smiled, walking back to her friends. Jiraiya seemed stunned. Orochimaru blinked, and waved his hand in front of Jiraiya's face.

"You still there?"

"She's never said that before. Orochimaru...I think I'm making progress." Jiraiya seemed elated.

Orochimaru was about to follow that with a less-than-plesent comment, but decided instead to hold his peace. He'd let Jiraiya have the moment, before he spoiled it.

* * *

The day was over, and Orochimaru was walking home. Or rather, the apartment that he was occupying for his mission. He'd have to send another report tonight. Nothing yet.

'Why is it hiding?' he wondered to himself. 'It doesn't make that much sense. I'm sure it doesn't know I'm here, and I've been supressing any extra aura. Not to mention there have to be several potential targets around.' The soul reapers who were supposed to be watching this area where quite lax in preforming konso, sending ghosts to the Soul Society. He sighed, trying to think about the report he would soon be writing. How could he make "Nothing yet." into a page-long report? The governing body could be such sticklers sometimes.

"Hey Orochimaru," said Tsunade, coming up beside him.

"Huh? Oh, hi Tsunade," Orochimaru replied, a little out of it. He'd been too deep in thought.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You were sure concentrating alot for someone thinking about nothing," Tsunade laughed. Orochimaru shrugged, The two walked in silence for awhile.

"Did I shock Jiraiya at lunch?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah. It was rather entertaining. He could barely contain himself during class."

Tsunade smiled.

"I'm not surprised. I'm not sure what I'll actually say this time though. I mean, he can be sweet sometimes. I just don't want his perverted tendancies to get the better of him, you know? Sorry, I'm just babbling."

"No, it's alright. I don't mind."

"You're weird, you know that? "

Orochimaru shrugged for the second time. He was more weird than Tsunade knew.

"I guess I'm used to it. I've been told that alot."

"I'm not surprised," Tsunade nodded, playing with Orochimaru's long black hair.

"Alright, stop it,"

"Sorry," Tsunade smiled, jumping back a step. Orochimaru knew she was just playing, but his appearence was a sensitive issue for him. With his pale skin and gold eyes, he'd been a target for more than enough people. It didn't help that his appearence was slightly feminine. He kept walking.

"Why are you always so distant?" Tsunade asked, jogging to catch up. "You don't seem to want to get close to anyone."

"My family moves around alot," Orochimaru lied. "I'm rarely in one place long enough to make friends or something like that. I find that it's better to remain distant."

Tsunade was quiet for awhile. Orochimaru supposed that what he had just said was rather harsh, but it was partially true. Once he went back to the Soul Society, no one would remember him. He'd just stop existing in the world. He sighed.

"Sorry. That sounded less harsh in my head."

"It's alright."

They continued to walk in silence. Tsunade stared off into the distance.

'Maybe,' Orochimaru thought, 'if I existed in this time, we could have been friends, Tsunade.' He smiled, finding the thought a nice one. It had been a long time since he had felt wanted.

"I've got to go this way," Tsunade said softly, as they stopped at an intersection. Orochimaru nodded. "I'll see you tommorrow."

"Yeah, I guess so," Orochimaru nodded. 'If the hollow doesn't show up first.' He watched Tsunade walk down the block, before continuing onwards.

* * *

By the time Orochimaru had reached his apartment, the sun was starting to set. He started up the stairs, and that's when he felt it. A massive soul pressure was bearing down on him, so much that he had to grip the railing in order to stay upright. He swore mentally. The hollow had shown itself.

He waited for it to pass, and then sprinted up towards his room. He flung open the door, discarding his gigai in the front hall. Grabbing his zanpaku-to, he fled into the growing dusk. He stood on top of the apartment building, trying to sense where the hollow had gone. North. His heart sank. That was the direction Tsunade had gone in. Taking off at a run, Orochimaru began his wayward course after the hollow. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, glad that no one could see him. He was getting closer. He landed in an alley, looking around to make sure there weren't any other hollows around.

"Sorry," someone said, running headlong into him. Orochimaru looked up. He was staring at Jiraiya.

"What are you doing here?" Jiraiya asked, "and what's with the outfit? Are you doing cosplay or something?"

"You...you can see me?" Orochimaru said, surprised. By all accounts, Jiraiya should have just run straight through him, as if he wasn't there.

"Plain as day, "Jiraiya replied, "Why wouldn't I be able to?"

Orochimaru looked around. How could he explain this?

"Orochimaru?"

"Look, I don't have time to explain. I have to go."

"You're after that creature, aren't you?" Jiraiya was serious all of a sudden. Orochimaru didn't think he'd ever seen him like this.

"You saw the hollow?"

"Yeah. I started chasing it after it grabbed Tsunade. I lost it though." Jiraiya seemed to be angry with himself.

"Which way did it go?" Orochimaru demanded.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I have to kill it before it eats Tsunade's soul."

"How? You look weaker than me."

"I'm a soul reaper. It's my job." Orochimaru snapped back, shrugging off the comment.

"A soul reaper? What is that?"

"It's nothing you need to know about. Where'd the hollow go?"

"Yes it is. I've seen people like you before. Sending ghosts somewhere."

"You can see ghosts?"

"Yes."

That explained everyhing. Orochimaru nodded.

"I'll explain everything later. Just show me where the hollow is."

"First tell me what a hollow is." Jiraiya demanded.

"It's an evil spirit. If we don't hurry, it's going to eat Tsunade's soul."

Jiraiya grabbed Orochimaru's arm and began dragging him east.

"It went this way," he said. "We've got to save her."

"No. You'll just be in my way!" Orochimaru yanked his arm free, and sped ahead of Jiraiya. "And you'll be a target for the hollow."

"Why?"

"The stronger a soul's power is, the more the hollows like it. That's how they survive."

"I don't care. Tsunade's in trouble. I'm going to rescue her."

Orochimaru didn't reply. They were getting closer. He could tell. He gripped his zanpaku-to, so hard his knuckles were whiter than usual. Jiraiya noted the grim expression on Orochimaru's face and stopped asking questions. He felt afraid, though of the creature that Orochimaru called a Hollow, or of Orochimaru himself, Jiraiya wasn't sure.

* * *

They paused at the edge of a clearing, deep in a small forest on some temple grounds. From where they squated in the bushes, both could see Tsunade and the Hollow clearly.

"We made it in time," Orochimaru sighed, relieved, "It hasn't eaten her yet."

"What are we going to do?" Jiraiya asked. He to, was relieved.

"I'm going to attack the Hollow. While I do that, I'll leave it up to you to rescue Tsunade and get out of here," Orochimaru was studying the Hollow as he said this. It had it's back to them, and sat like a gorilla. It was muttering to itself, and had not suspected that they were there. Good. He'd have the advantage of surprise. He was about to make his move, when Jiraiya stopped him,

"What?" Orochimaru snapped.

"Are you going to be alright? Should I come help you, once I've gotten Tsunade to safety?"

"No. Just stay away. There's not much you can do against an opponent like this," Orochimaru replied. "I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't done this before." He smiled, confidently. Jiraiya smiled back.

Orochimaru leapt out of the bushes, drawing his zanpaku-to quickly. He swung down, slashing at the hollow's head. Before the attack could connect, the hollow's arm came up, throwing Orochimaru into a tree. The Hollow turned to face him, laughing.

"You thought I wasn't paying attention, weren't you boy? Well, I knew you were there the whole time. I just wanted to draw you out so I could have a better meal. I didn't expect a soul reaper though. How fortunate." The red eyes glaring down at Orochimaru were filled with joy. Orochimaru returned with a stoney glare. Now he had a clear view of the heartless. It was large, and gorilla-like as he had first assumed. The white mask was etched with a perpetual smile. Orochimaru stood up, brushing himself off. He held his zanpaku-to out in front of him.

"Come forth, Kusanagi." He said. A faint light surrounded the sword, shaped liked a katana. When it faded the sword had hardly seemed to change. From where he was hiding, Jiraiya blinked. Orochimaru seriously thought that he could win with a flimsy sword like that? He was going to get clobbered.

Without saying anything, Orochimaru ran towards the Hollow, who swung his giant arm down, hoping to crush him. A cloud of dust arose from impact with the ground. Jiraiya couldn't see Orochimaru. The Hollow began to laugh, thinking that it had won. A flash of light soon stopped the laughter, as it cut across the Hollow. Orochimaru landed a few meters away, yanking his sword back. It was made up of myriad blades connected at their tips, forming a deadly whip-like sword. Orochimaru smiled, a grim, confident smile. He struck out again, this time hitting the Hollow's arm. A large cut found its way there. The Hollow blundered towards him, his great arms swinging. Orochimaru darted away, drawing the Hollow with him. Hopefully. Jiraiya would understand that it was his time to act.

He led the Hollow deeper into the forest, attacking whenever he could. He wanted to wear him down, making it easier to strike at the head. Although he figured that was going to take longer than he thought, narrowly dodging another wild swing. He jumped up into the tree, pulling his arm back for another attack. The Hollow's fist barrelled towards him. Orochimaru dodged again, but this time the Hollow was ready, and swung around with its other arm. The impact sent Orochimaru into another tree, the force of the blow making him drop his zanpaku-to. Orochimaru swore and got up. The Hollow was coming towards him.

"Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandimonium, the sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Shakkaho!"

The blast of red energy flew at the hollow, connecting with it's cheast. Orochimaru lunged at his sword, twisting to avoid getting squashed as the hollow flailed around in pain. Now was his chance. He leapt up behind the hollow, gripping Kusanagi with both hands, and swinging down. The multiple blades flashing dangerously as they headed towards the Hollow's head. The Hollow stopped flailing, and caught Orochimaru off gaurd with another swing of his arms.

"You aren't bad, kid. That last one hurt," He grinned down at Orochimaru. Orochimaru was up again. The Hollow raised it's foot, planning to stomp Orochimaru into the ground. Orochimaru couldn't see a way out.

'Do I have time to use kido?' he wondered, preparing another incantation in his mind. He lost it when something slammed into his side, just as the Hollow's foot came down.

"Jiraiya, what the hell are you doing here?" Orochimaru yelled, once he'd recovered from being tackled by the larger boy.

"I came to help. I got Tsunade to safety, don't worry," Jiraiya grinned.

"Do you have any ideas on how you were going to help me?"

"Didn't think that far."

Of course. Orochimaru looked up, and saw the Hollow lumbering towards them. It was laughing to itself. It's meal had come to it. Orochimaru's grip tightened on Kusanagi. He looked around for an escape. They were closed in by trees on all sides, with no available branches. Orochimaru might have been able to reach the higher branches, but that would leave Jiraiya vunerable. Did he have time to use kido? Pushing Jiraiya back, Orochimaru began the incantation. 'This won't do much damage,' he thought, noticing that he was running short of breath, 'But it should buy some time to escape and come up with a better plan.'

The Hollow was almost on top of them, its mouth open wide in a drooling visage of doom. Jiraiya was tense, not sure what he could do to help. Coming back to help didn't seem like such a good idea now. The Hollow raised its fist, ready to bring it down and crush the two boys.

And then it stopped. Jiraiya blinked, watching as the Hollow seemed to split apart and then disintegrate. There was a figure standing in front of them. He was dressed similar to Orochimaru, in the black kimono, except his was covered with a white overcoat, the character for eight embroidered onto the back. Orochimaru stopped chanting.

"Captain?" he said, confused. Jiraiya looked at him. Orochimaru knew this guy?

"Not bad, Orochimaru," said the man, turning to face them. He was an older man, his hair and goatee grey. His eyes were the type to not miss anything, and it was clear that they used to hold a battlelust that had since mellowed out. He held a well-worn zanpaku-to. "You still hesitate to much though."

Orochimaru took the criticism silently. The Captain sheathed his sword, and walked over to them.

"Relax. The mission's over."

Orochimaru nodded, the multiple blades of Kusanagi folding back into just the one. He sheathed the sword.

"Sorry I got you involved," he said, not turning around. Jiraiya shrugged.

"Don't be. I got myself involved. I feel you do owe me an explaination though. I want to know what's going on."

"Alright. I'm a soul reaper. I make sure spirits pass on to the Soul Society. I also defeat Hollows, which are evil spirits." Orochimaru gave the most basic description he could. It was a rather complex subject.

Jiraiya nodded, sort of understanding. He blinked, a thought coming to him.

"So...would that make you..."

"Yes. I'm dead, Jiraiya." Orochimaru replied. He had been trying to avoid this particular detail. Jiraiya looked very confused. "It's a long story," Orochimaru said, dismissing the subject.

The Captain of Eighth company, Kazuo, to give him a name, watched as Orochimaru tried to explain himself to the other boy. He smiled, noting the confusion and frustration that was begining to cloud the air. It appeared Orochimaru had found a friend, whether he liked it or not.

"Orochimaru, it's time to go," Kazuo said.

"Go where?" Jiraiya asked.

"Back to the Soul Society. My mission's done, so I've no reason to be here anymore," Orochimaru replied. Kazuo sighed. Blunt as always.

Jiraiya looked down at the ground.

"Guess it's only right since you're dead and all," He said, reluctantly accepting the reality. Orochimaru nodded. He felt almost sorry about leaving, and was surprised he felt that way. Maybe Jiraiya was more of a friend after all. Tsunade as well.

"Orochimaru, come on. I can't keep the gate open much longer," Kazuo sighed. Jiraiya blinked, wondering when the Japanese-style door had materialized. He had to squint away the bright light.

"Coming. Oh yeah, Tsunade does like you. Just don't act like a pervert around her and you'll be fine," Orochimaru smiled. Jiraiya blinked, surprised at the news. He was about to ask, when Orochimaru turned and headed for the gate.

"Come back and visit some time, alright?" he said, as way of parting.

"I'll see what I can do," Orochimaru shrugged, walking into the gate. Jiraiya watched it close, and then disappear. He was alone now, amoung the trees. He looked up at the sky, considering what he had just learned. That was until a new thought came to him. Orochimaru wasn't just older than him by a few weeks. There could tens, hundreds, even thousands of years between them. But why did Orochimaru look his age? It didn't make sense.

* * *

As he passed the gate back into the Soul Society, Orochimaru sneezed. Someone was speaking ill of him, and he smirked. Jiraiya must have figured something out.

* * *

Reviews are welcome. Criticism accepted...tell me what to fix. Flames are not accepted, because if you're going to tell me what I'm doing wrong, you might as well offer suggestions on how to fix it.

Please don't spoil anything for Bleach past Episode 71. Thanks for reading...and reviewing, if you so choose to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. I own this idea, Kimiko, and Kazuo. Zanpaku-to designs come from Bleach, Inuyasha, and Buso Renkin.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set.

Orochimaru watched the orange glow receding from the white buildings of the Seireitei, casting long shadows on the winding streets. He leaned back onto the roof of the eighth company building, closing his eyes against the glare of the sun. It had been a long day. Several hollows had arrived unannounced, and Third Company had required backup. It had been quite a large group of them to. Rather odd really. Hollows didn't usually act that way, as they tended to have selfish personalities. That attack had been the third case. Orochimaru couldn't help but wonder if something was up.

He sighed, watching the stars come out. Hopefully, there wouldn't be another attack for a while. It was making the entire Seireitei jumpy. And that made the Rukong districts jumpy. It was just one big chain reaction, one that he'd rather not be part of. He sighed, missing the days when he didn't have to work so hard. When things were peaceful. Everyone knew that something was coming. Life may have been running smoothly, but the air crackled with things yet to come.

"Vice-captain? Dinner's ready," came a voice from below. Orochimaru pegged the voice to be that of Kimiko, the current third-seat of eighth company.

"I'm on the roof Kimiko," Orochimaru replied, sitting up.

Kimiko leaned out of the window and looked up. Orochimaru waved, and started climbing down from the roof into his room.

"Dinner's ready," Kimiko repeated.

"I know. I heard," Orochimaru replied.

"What were you doing on the roof?"

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing."

"You think a lot for a person who thinks about nothing," Kimiko sighed. Orochimaru couldn't help but smile. He'd been told that once before, and there wasn't much he could do to argue with it. He headed for the door.

"Oh yeah, Captain Kazuo wanted to see you about something," Kimiko added. Orochimaru turned to face her, noting the curiosity in her green eyes.

"Did he say why?"

"No. Maybe it's about the hollow attack earlier today." Kimiko shrugged. Orochimaru nodded. He left the room, Kimiko close behind.

"What's for dinner, anyway?" He asked, changing the subject, absently.

"I'm not sure," Kimiko replied, playing with her brown hair.

"Could be anything then. As long as the soup's not burnt this time, I'll be fine," Orochimaru nodded. He was still trying to get the taste of burnt miso soup out of his mouth. Kimiko nodded, remembering the experience. It had not been a pleasant one.

"Did the captain say when to meet him?" Orochimaru asked, breaking a small silence that had fallen between them,

"Anytime after dinner," Kimiko replied, running to join several other girls in the food line. Orochimaru sighed. Now it was going to be bothering him all through dinner. What would the captain want?

* * *

"Vice-captain Orochimaru, reporting as was requested," Orochimaru said, knocking on the door to the Captain's room. It was later than he'd thought. A small argument had broken out between several members over the quality of the meal, and as vice-captain, he'd been obliged to intervene. Not a fun job in the long run.

"Come in."

"I would have come earlier, but complications arose," Orochimaru explained, closing the door behind him with an annoyed clack.

"I heard," Kazuo smiled, as Orochimaru sat down. "Sounds like they were giving you a hard time."

"Nothing I couldn't handle. What did you want to see me about?"

"Straight to the point, as always," Kazuo sighed. "We haven't sparred in quite some time, you know. I thinking now would be a good time to see how strong you've become, thanks to those training sessions of yours."

"You mean, you knew?" Orochimaru blinked. 'I thought I did everything to hide that fact.'

"Orochimaru, you've been exhausted at breakfast for the past month. Not to mention I heard you when you tripped out of the window two weeks ago." Kazuo nodded, knowingly. "It's not that hard to put two and two together."

Orochimaru didn't reply. Just when he thought that embarrassment was behind him. A silence drifted into the room.

"I assume you are challenging me then," Orochimaru said, the dust clearing in his mind,

"Exactly. Are you up for it?"

"I don't know. I just want to relax after that hollow attack earlier today."

"It's fine," Kazuo tossed him a piece of paper. "That's the location. I'll wait until the moon is high. If you don't come, we'll do it another time."

Orochimaru bowed and left.

* * *

Orochimaru glared at the scrap of paper that the Captain had given him. It didn't feel like he was being challenged to a spar. More like an actual fight. And something about it didn't feel right. Orochimaru yawned, and rolled over onto his stomach. He couldn't sleep. He'd managed to rest his eyes for an hour or two after returning from the Captain's chambers, but then found himself wide awake.

"Damn it, Captain. Now you have me wondering," he muttered, sitting up. He looked at his zanpaku-to, wondering if all his training had had some effect. Was he really that much stronger?

"Not sure what to do?" Kusanagi asked, taking its spiritual form, a large snake. It slithered over to Orochimaru, coiling around his neck at an attempt of comfort.

"Exactly. I can't help but feel that something bad will happen if I go tonight."

"But at the same time you want to test your strength."

Orochimaru nodded. Kusanagi cocked his head, thinking about it.

"I say go."

"Why?"

"It's simple. You're simply testing your strength. The bad feeling means nothing. If you've had it for a while, who says it's going to leave because you didn't accept Kazuo's challenge?"

"You have a point there," Orochimaru nodded, getting up. Kusanagi smiled.

"So, we're going?"

"Yes. You've talked me into it. I don't think I'll be able to sleep either way." He picked up the zanpaku-to, checked the note once more, and headed out into the night.

He wandered quietly through the darkened streets of the Seireitei, pulling his kimono closer to him. It was starting to get cold. Gamely he set out, choosing the route that would offer the least resistance. Guards were on extra alert since the hollow attacks had increased, and "going to answer a challenge" would hardly seem a good reason to be out this late.

Clearing several roofs, Orochimaru came upon the place suggested, the courtyard in front of the First Company building. Orochimaru could recall being here twice before. The first was when he had graduated the Soul Reaper Academy and the second when he was promoted to vice-captain. It held an aura of sanctity to him, as it was an area he rarely visited.

He dropped down into the courtyard. Kazuo sat at the other end, a bottle of sake beside him. He smiled when he saw Orochimaru.

"So, you came," he said, putting the bottle aside.

"Indeed," Orochimaru said, bowing respectfully. Kazuo turned to face him.

The tension in the air became thick.

Orochimaru adjusted his grip on Kusanagi. His eyes watched Kazuo, searching for an opening. There were no doubts that the same was being done to him. Questions flooded into his mind, and Orochimaru struggled to keep them at bay. The answers would come after. He had to concentrate on the fight. He felt calm. Normally, one would feel intense fear at the prospect of fighting a captain, but there was nothing. Just calm.

A small leaf flitted through the air, dropping slowly to the ground.

It landed.

The first strike was made.

A testing blow, simply a measure of strength for either side.

"You have gotten better," Kazuo smiled, as the two sparred, matching each other blow for blow. Orochimaru accepted he compliment without saying anything. He had to focus on the fight. A moment's hesitation or distraction would prove disastrous.

Kazuo continued his attack, putting Orochimaru on the defensive. Orochimaru jumped back, chanting under his breath. A wave of kido flew at Kazuo. Judging by the smoke that appeared, Orochimaru assumed a hit, but turned to check anyway.

Kazuo stood behind him, without a scratch.

"Your kido has always been impressive, but you need to hold still more. You're always a little off because you jump at the recoil."

Was the captain trying to teach him or fight him?

Orochimaru turned fully around, making eye contact with Kazuo. He gripped Kusanagi, preparing for another attack. Kazuo watched him lazily. Orochimaru charged.

Something had gone wrong.

Kazuo shouldn't have been able to dodge. Block, yes, but dodge completely? But, Kazuo was standing to his left, wearing that same lazy grin, waiting for Orochimaru's next attack.

Orochimaru continued thinking, trying to determine his next move. Realization dropped into his head. Kazuo had released Kurohoshi, his zanpaku-to. Orochimaru focused his gaze, and smiled when he saw the small sparkle. Flecks of metal floated in the air, surrounding the entire courtyard.

Kurohoshi, when initially released, became a cloud of metal dust that surrounded an area. This metal caused the nervous system to be affected, throwing things such as depth perception off. Although Kazuo still held a sword, it was merely a double.

Yanking Kusanagi up, Orochimaru swung wildly, the myriad blades unfolding one by one. Kazuo dodged narrowly, charging Orochimaru who brought his sword up to block just in time.

"So, you can release your zanpaku-to without a name now," Kazuo smiled, "I'm rather impressed. I didn't expect you to achieve that feat so quickly."

"What is the meaning of this, Captain?" Orochimaru asked.

"You will see, Orochimaru. For now, consider this a test."

"A test?" Orochimaru never got an explanation. Kazuo had slid back into his cover. Orochimaru closed his eyes, trying to focus, Again he had to suppress his questions, for now, he would focus on defeating Kurohoshi. Where was the captain now? To the right?

Opening his eyes, Orochimaru swung Kusanagi in a wide arc. Cutting through the clouds of metal, the sword searched for its target. Kazuo blocked, though the blow sent him back a few feet. Orochimaru attacked again.

* * *

Dawn was beginning to break, and the Soul Reapers of the Thirteen Companies were waking up to go about their business. Team One noticed the fight first. For the longest time, each soul reaper stood transfixed on the ensuing fight, wondering how they could not have noticed. Arashi, the vice-captain, finally regained some of his composure, sent a runner to alert the captain of Team one. Surely he knew what was going on. The runner left reluctantly, not wanting to miss anything.

Team four was the next to join the spectators, ignoring their cleaning duties. No one was up for reprimanding them. By now, news of the event was spreading across the Seireitei like wildfire. Soul Reapers from all companies were abandoning their duties. The Captain and Vice-captain of Eight Company were fighting. No one wanted to miss it.

* * *

Neither combatant noticed the arrival of their audience, or of the coming of daybreak. Both were too focused on the fight. With each strike, Orochimaru was starting to get closer to Kazuo, attempting to land a physical blow. Kazuo smiled as he blocked another attack. He had been right about Orochimaru. It was time to take things up a notch.

Kazuo stopped his barrage, bringing all the shavings of metal to his sword. They clouded around him, making it seem like there was a giant, silver dragon wrapped around his sword. Orochimaru paused. Was that the true form of Kurohoshi? Whatever was going on, Orochimaru knew he had to stop it. Kusanagi flew along the ground in a wave-like motion.

"Bankai!"

The dragon roared and flew towards Orochimaru, who stopped his attack and threw his arms up in a game attempt at a block. When he next looked around, he was in an area of black. Every so often a piece of metal sparkled in the distance, but other than that, darkness in every direction. This was the Captain's bankai? His forever release?

"This is my bankai," Kazuo confirmed, his voice seeming to be coming from everywhere. "Collapsed Kurohoshi." Kazuo materialized in front of Orochimaru.

"Captain, what is going on?" Orochimaru demanded.

"I told you. I'm testing you."

"Why?"

Kazuo didn't answer, but faded back into the darkness. Orochimaru felt a sudden jarring sensation, which soon switched into the feeling of him being pulled forward. Some sort of light had appeared in front of him, trying to drag him into it. Orochimaru tried to move, but no matter where he went in the space, the dragging sensation was still there.

There had to be some catch. Some weakness, Orochimaru thought, letting himself be pulled towards the light. He winced as metal scraps flew across his face and body. It was almost impossible to dodge.

'This has to be part of the Captain's test,' Orochimaru thought, using Kusanagi as a shield to block the incoming shards. He wrapped the chain of blades around him, trying to buy some time and contemplate a strategy. How could he defeat this bankai? He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate, a trait he was known for, and listened to the metal bouncing off his makeshift shield.

The dragging sensation stopped. There was his answer.

Orochimaru opened his eyes. The dragging feeling was there again. Closing his eyes once more, he smirked. Realization was starting to form into strategy. It was all part of Kurohoshi's properties, only this time on a much larger scale. However, if he kept his eyes shut, he could overcome that one difficulty, and he only had to focus on the metal scraps.

But it couldn't be that easy? This was a bankai, after all. There had to be more, and it looked like experimenting was the only way to find out.

Breaking his shield, Orochimaru swung Kusanagi into the unending darkness. He took a quick step to the left, feeling the tip rush past his ear. His attacks were being redirected, and it would be worse with his eyes closed.

Mumbling a short incantation, Orochimaru threw a small blast of kido into the dark. He opened his eyes slightly, only to watch it disperse, as he suspected it would. He needed more time to think.

A group of shards connected heavily with his chest, bringing him back to reality. He had no time.

"You're still hesitating," Kazuo sad, once more coming into the open. "But you've figured out the majority of my bankai. Well done."

"I still don't see the point, Captain. This is far more than just sparring, else you wouldn't have brought out your bankai.

"In that, you are correct. We are engaged in formal combat, rather than just mere sparring," Kazuo nodded, almost sadly.

"So, that would mean you are testing me to see..." Orochimaru trailed off as the realization dawned on him.

"To see if you are ready to be promoted to the rank of captain," Kazuo completed.

"Captain, do you really think I'm ready?" Orochimaru was almost speechless. Not something that he felt often.

"Of course. Your nightly training sessions have been paying off. You've been holding your own against me, haven't you?"

"I appreciate the praise, sir, but as far as I know, there aren't any open positions."

"There may be in the near future. I wanted to make sure you were ready."

Orochimaru nodded. He hadn't really considered becoming a captain until recently, when he'd started training. But even then he was more interested in achieving Bankai than moving up in the ranks. As one approached the rank of captain, things began to get more political, especially where the four noble families were involved.

Kazuo lunged forward. Orochimaru parried the blow, launching a quick counterattack. A small cut appeared on Kazuo's arm. He brushed it off.

"So, when are you going to stop holding back?" Kazuo asked.

"You noticed?"

"Of course. Your strength has grown. How could I not?"

Orochimaru looked hesitant. He didn't really know the extent of his full powers.

"If you're worried about the Seireitei, don't be. It's been through much worse."

"I figured," Orochimaru said, jumping back a few paces. "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move, and become the wind, stop, and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the castle! Raikoho!" The large wave of yellow energy went flying towards Kazuo, who blocked it brazenly with Kurohoshi. Orochimaru followed up on the attack, Kusanagi cutting through the kido. Kazuo smiled, bringing up a cloud of shards to block Kusanagi. Orochimaru winced as some of his kido grazed him. The rules of the bankai were still in effect it seemed.

Orochimaru nodded. In order for a clear hit to happen, he was going to have to break the bankai.

"Is this all you have to show from your training? I expected quite a bit more from you," Kazuo taunted.

Orochimaru held Kusanagi out in front of him, a grim smile on his face.

"Bankai!"

Kazuo held his ground as Orochimaru's soul power increased tenfold. He could feel it crashing into him in waves. Now, it was time for him to get serious. Holding his hand up. Kazuo dispersed the darkness, bringing them back out into the courtyard, where the crowd had grown substantially. The loud roar of conversation filled Kazuo's ears as he became aware of his surroundings. Several captains had even arrived. He glanced up at Sarutobi, the Leader of Team One, and the General of the Thirteen Court guards and smiled. Sarutobi sighed. Kazuo certainly liked to show off.

The smoke that had gathered around Orochimaru was beginning to disperse, and a shape was starting to become visible. Orochimaru sat confidently on the head of a giant snake, sitting coiled in the courtyard.

"Manda Kusanagi. My bankai," Orochimaru said, jumping down.

"Rather impressive creature, he is," Kazuo nodded approvingly. But what was Orochimaru hiding? His sword seemed no where in sight. Was the snake merely a distraction? He took a few steps back. He'd have to be careful now. It was a whole new game.

'I have to end this quickly,' Orochimaru thought, taking a deep breath. 'I don't think I have the strength to keep my bankai for that long.'

The snake shot towards Kazuo, a thin silver streak coming from the snake's mouth. A myriad of smaller blades sprang from it, giving it the appearance of a centipede. It moved along the ground in a wave, suddenly changing direction.

"Just because we're no long in the space, doesn't mean that the rules of my bankai don't apply," Kazuo nodded. Still no kido, and Orochimaru's attacks could be redirected back at him.

Orochimaru flicked his wrist, the hilt of Kusanagi appearing in his hand. The sword was heading back to Kazuo.

"That won't matter. I can change the direction of my sword easily."

"I can see that. A useful trait. This could be a long battle," Kazuo replied, noting Orochimaru's expression, one of worry. It was as he figured. He dodged the tip of the blade, but was unable to avoid some of the smaller blades along the end. Blood ran freely down his cheek.

Orochimaru couldn't dispute Kazuo's fact. It was going to be a long battle, and he hadn't been given the chance to fully explore his bankai and all its subtleties. He still had ten years ahead him, if he was going to fully master it. He had to end this fast, but...how? The bankai had to have a weak spot. He just had to find it.

Orochimaru jumped back, easily evading Kazuo's latest attack. He went to launch a counterattack and paused. The Captain was using a long-distance attack. That was the last piece of the puzzle. By blocking the senses, Kazuo could attack from anywhere, easily, and since Orochimaru was aware of the other properties, distance attacks worked best.

'I should consider myself lucky I can read them,' Orochimaru thought to himself, determining a counter-strategy as well as a block. His specialty was distance as well. He had to move in closer, but his bankai wasn't suited for that kind of stunt. Neither was his shikai, for that matter. There was something to take into consideration, he figured. What if he deactivated both? A normal zanpaku-to... would it be enough? There was only one way to find out.

"This is a new strategy," Kazuo commented, watching Orochimaru's bankai fade into its normal form. Orochimaru said nothing, and began to charge towards Kazuo, his sword raised. The scraps of metal struck at Orochimaru from every direction causing cuts all over his body, but gamely he charged on. Once more the dragon began to form, but he cut through it. His only target was Kazuo.

* * *

A stunned silence filled the courtyard. Orochimaru woke up to reality, feeling weak as the adrenalin rush faded from his body. The silence told him that something was wrong. Blinking a few times to regain his senses, he looked around. For the first time, he noticed the considerable crowd that had formed. Were they watching the fight? It was then that he noticed the blood.

"You win, Orochimaru," Kazuo said. The shallow breaths that he took turned into a hacking cough, spraying blood onto the ground. "You fought well."

Orochimaru made no reply. Was this what Kazuo had meant? He looked at the captain's face. Kazuo smiled at him. With a wince, he removed Kusanagi from his chest, and stumbled forward. Orochimaru caught him out of reflex.

"This is what I had intended to happen. I am not suited to face what happens next," Kazuo whispered.

"Captain, what are you talking about?" Orochimaru asked.

"You know, Orochimaru. You've felt it. Things are about to change. You must be the one to lead Eighth Company through it. Trust Leader, but trust your instincts more. I put my trust in you."

"Captain?"

"So... is that it?" came a voice from behind him. Orochimaru turned, and found himself facing Sarutobi.

"Kazuo Fukugawa, the captain of eighth company, is dead. I, Orochimaru, hereby claim the rank of captain as the one who defeated him," Orochimaru replied.

"So be it then. I, Sarutobi, General of the Thirteen Court Guards, recognize Orochimaru as the new captain of Team eight."

The soul reapers watching the fight, looked at each other confused. What should they do? Were they supposed to cheer, or boo, or what? A pitter of small applause came from the crowed, but Orochimaru took no notice. He had taken the captain's coat from Kazuo's fallen body and stood weighing it in his hands. It was heavy, he noted.

"He wanted all of this, you know?" Sarutobi said, looking at the small smile that graced Kazuo's features.

"Why?" Orochimaru asked, quietly.

"Honor is a strange thing," Sarutobi replied. "But, I'll take my leave of you now. You have a lot of work ahead of you, Captain."

Orochimaru nodded, watching him leave. Captain, it had a nice ring to it.

Kimiko ran in, shortly after Sarutobi left. Orochimaru looked up, nodding at her. Kimiko stopped, and nodded back. It hadn't taken her very long to discern what had happened. Without warning, Orochimaru tossed her the vice-captain's badge.

"Come. We have work to do," he said, walking passed her, the captain's robe draped about his shoulders.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"So, that was your move Kazuo? An interesting one at that," He smiled, and then turned to his followers. One, a small figure wearing an orange mask, the other a large plant, it seemed. "Zetsu, keep an eye on eighth company's new captain."

"Yes sir," a robotic voice replied.

"What should I do, Leader?" the masked figure asked.

"You will come with me, Tobi. Things will be in motion soon, and we have much to prepare."

* * *

A/N: First of all, I'd like to apologize for this chapter taking so long. I had quite a bit to think about it with regards to it, and my life got super-busy all the while. (School, IB exams, English Projects, Work, Grad). It also recently dawned on me that I'm heading into my last week of High School, so I'm kind of emotional about that.

I'm rather proud of myself with this chapter. Twelve pages in length. I like how the fight scene turned out, and I can't wait to play with more bankais. Kazuo's changed alot. I realise that the ending was kind of cryptic, but I'll explain it later in the story.

Zanpaku-tos. I want to talk about them briefly. I am borrowing from other animes and such. Kusanagi (Orochimaru's sword) is based off of Jakotsu's sword from Inuyasha and the Bankai from the Hakujin in Rurouni Kenshin. Kazuo's comes from Dr. Butterfly's buso renkin, in the series, Buso Renkin. It changed quite a bit from what I originally intended.

Thank you to those who review, and to those who read but didn't review as well. (107 hits. I'm surprised.) Thanks for your patients. I'll get the next chapter up soon...hopefully.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto, Bleach by Tite Kubo, and Buso Renkin by Nobuhiro Watsuki. I own the idea and that is all.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki stared glumly out the window.

It wasn't fair, he thought. It wasn't fair that he should have to be stuck inside this stuffy classroom on such a nice day. It just wasn't fair. Naruto tapped his desk irritably with his pen, and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He wanted to be outside.

"Stop it." Someone hissed. Naruto stopped tapping his pen and attempted to locate the speaker. He figured. His nemesis, Sasuke Uchiha. If there was one person in the world that Naruto could not stand, it was Sasuke. He had never really understood the basis of his hatred for his classmate. Maybe it was Sasuke's perpetually indifferent attitude, or the fact that he had stellar grades and the praise of all his teachers. A feat Naruto could never hope to match at his current pace, and one that bothered him to no end. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that every girl in the school seemed hopelessly in love with him. This, unfortunately, included his crush, Sakura Haruno. Even now, he could see the pink-haired girl studiously copying down notes, while stealing a glance at Sasuke every so often.

Annoyed, Naruto turned back to look out the window. He leaned forward; trying to gleen what little breeze he could from the meager opening in the window. He wanted the period to end now.

A dark shadow suddenly loomed before him in the schoolyard. Naruto blinked, a chill running down his spine. A desire to run welled up within him. Not to anywhere in particular, just far enough to get away from the stark white mask that grinned at him. He glanced around the room in a panicked frenzy. Why had no one else noticed the giant outside? Especially when it tilted its head back and screamed. Naruto wanted to say something. Wanted to warn his class of the rapidly approaching danger.

Naruto was just about to open his mouth, when a flash of light came out of nowhere and knocked the creature off course. A black butterfly fluttered passed his eyes. Then he saw her. Dressed in a black kimono, she leapt towards the creature, a sword flashing in her hand. The giant screamed again, a huge fist raised to swat the annoying bug away. The girl turned, deflecting the attack at the last moment. Naruto could see her face clearly then.

A pair of silver eyes stared at the giant, set in grim determination. Long, navy blue hair floated around her. She seemed petite in statue, and Naruto watched in amazement, as she held her own against the giant.

Victory was in sight. The girl had scored several debilitating hits on the giant, who was now howling in pain. Though he could vaguely hear his name being called, and the fact the he had class floated in the back of his mind, Naruto was too entranced by the fight to respond. The girl was going to win. He knew it. The girl leapt for her final attack, just as Naruto saw something shoot along the ground.

"Look out behind you!" he yelled, leaping up from his desk as a spiked tail flew towards her. The blackboard eraser caught him by surprise, stunning him for a few seconds. When he finished coughing and waving away the dust, both the girl and the monster were gone.

"Care to tell the class what was so exciting, Mr. Uzumaki?" came a terse voice. Naruto turned slowing, finding himself staring into the stern, brown eyes of Iruka Umino, his caretaker, mentor, and most unfortunately, his teacher.

* * *

"Naruto, what got into you today?" Sai asked, giving him an odd look. It was lunchtime, and the two were sitting on the roof, with a perfect view of Sakura and her friends.

"Huh? You mean you didn't see it?" Naruto asked, turning to Sai, surprised.

"See what? All I saw was you freaking out over nothing," Sai replied, taking a bite of his pastry.

"There was girl...and she was fighting this giant monster thing..." Naruto said.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't see anything. And something tells me I would have seen that. Or at least noticed something was up. Are you sure you're not hallucinating?"

"No way!" Naruto yelled defensively, leaping up. "I'm sure of what I saw! C'mon, I'll prove it to you."

He dragged Sai over to the railing, and pointed down into the schoolyard. There were indeed large, foot-shaped imprints in the ground. Sai's eyes widened. Maybe Naruto wasn't as crazy as he thought.

Noting Sai's expression, Naruto's face proclaimed victory.

"See. I told you!" He said proudly. Sai rolled his eyes.

He stared at the footprint some more. How could something that big have been made, with only Naruto noticing? It didn't make sense.

"Hey, Naruto," Sai began, speaking quietly.

"What?"

"Remember when you told me that you could see ghosts?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, if you saw that giant-thing, and that girl, and no one else did, then maybe, they were spirits or something like that," Sai suggested. Naruto nodded. Now that he thought about it, it did make sense. He couldn't think of anyone else who had that talent. It was definitely something to look into.

* * *

The sun was starting to set when Naruto finally got out of school. Due to his outburst in class, Iruka had made him stay behind and clean the classroom by himself. He sighed, willing away the waterlogged feeling in his hands. And of course, Iruka had been bugging him about his grades, and his homework. Naruto was starting to wonder how he put up with it all. He was almost an adult. At the same time though, Naruto figured that he did owe Iruka a lot. He had pretty much raised Naruto, taking him in when his parents had died in an accident. Something Naruto barely remembered.

The streetlights were flickering on, as he passed by the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Naruto's stomach growled loudly, as the scent of ramen flooded into his nose. 'One bowl couldn't hurt,' Naruto figured, crossing the street towards the shop. Maybe he'd get a bowl for Iruka as well. To show that there were no hard feelings. He slid into the shop, and waved at the owner, who waved back, and began preparing a bowl of Naruto's usual order. Naruto was about to sit down, when he noticed another person in the shop. Jiraiya sat at the bar, reading something. Naruto couldn't tell what, but he assumed it was a perverted novel.

Naruto did have respect for Jiraiya. The older man had learned early on of Naruto's spiritual abilities, and it was with his help that Naruto was able to accept the talent. He was wise, Naruto had to admit. It was unfortunate that that wisdom rarely surfaced. He was just to much of a pervert. Naruto sat down, and cleared his throat, trying to get Jiraiya's attention.

Jiraiya looked up, blinking a few seconds before recognition set in.

"Oh, Naruto. It's been awhile, hasn't it," he said, cheerily. Naruto sighed, but cheered up when his ramen arrived.

"Jiraiya, I have a question for you," he said, taking a bite of ramen.

"Go ahead, kid. What kind of question? How to win Sakura's heart?"

Naruto shook his head. The last time he'd tried one of Jiraiya's methods, Naruto had nearly ended up in the hospital.

"No. It's just... something I saw today. A giant...thing. It had this white mask and it was really creepy. And then this girl in a black kimono, she came and fought it. But the thing is, no one else saw it, or even noticed it. When I told Sai, he said I might have seen a ghost or something. Do you know what it was?"

Jiraiya nodded, listening to what Naruto had to say. He smiled.

"You're lucky, kid. I do happen to know what it was. The giant you saw was a hollow. It's an evil spirit that eats human souls to survive. They're attracted to people with strong spiritual energy, like you. The girl you saw was probably a soul reaper."

Naruto nodded.

"So, what's a soul reaper?"

"A Soul reaper is someone who makes sure that spirits make it to the next life. Their other job is to hunt the hollows."

"Pleasant," Naruto commented, eating some more of his ramen. "So, is it anything to worry about?"

"I wouldn't think so. Usually Soul reapers stay out of people's way," Jiraiya explained, "And they get rid of Hollows rather quickly, so there's not much of a threat."

Naruto nodded again, and concentrated on his ramen for a little bit longer.

"How would you know about this sort of thing, if Soul Reapers stay away from people?" He asked finally. The knowledge granted to him did not seem to be common.

"Well, when I was your age, I happened to meet a Soul reaper," Jiraiya nodded. "I helped him bring down a hollow that he was after."

Naruto blinked.

"There were soul reapers back when you were my age?" he asked. No matter how hard he tried, imagining Jiraiya at his age seemed almost impossible.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"Just eat your ramen," he said grumpily.

* * *

It was night by the time Naruto had actually made it home, carrying a bowl of ramen for Iruka, and another for himself. It was a nice night, and he started whistling to himself as he turned the street towards his house. A flicker of black showed up in the corner of his eye. He turned quickly, and found himself staring at an empty street. He shrugged. It was probably just a leaf or something. He kept walking, his guard up. After what Jiraiya had told him about the hollows, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little nervous. That thing was clearly after him earlier this morning, and really, he had no real way of defending himself. It was a scary thought.

The worrying was for naught, however, as Naruto arrived home without incident. He pulled his key out and opened the door to an empty house. Iruka must have been working late, or something like that. Leaving the ramen on the table with a note, Naruto went upstairs and flopped down on the bed. He contemplated doing his homework, but figured that there was no point, as he wouldn't understand what was going on. He'd just copy from Sai tomorrow.

Shifting to a more comfortable position, Naruto began to contemplate, not for the first time, his ability. Why did he have it? Where did it come from? From what he could learn of his family, no one else seemed to have this ability to see spirits, much less be affiliated with anything super natural. So why him? It's not like it bothered him or anything, it just felt odd to be able to see things that normal people couldn't. Sai was really the only person who knew about it aside from Iruka and Jiraiya.

He glanced out the window, noting a bright full moon. With a grin, he imagined Sakura looking at it to. A black butterfly flittered in front of his eyes again, and without warning a black hole appeared in front of his window. The girl from earlier, the soul reaper, came out and landed gracefully on the floor in front of Naruto's bed. She had passed over Naruto completely. She was looking around the room intently.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, "What the heck do you think you're doing? You should usually ask before entering someone's room!"

The girl jumped, and then turned around quickly. Naruto blinked. She had a round face and long indigo hair. Her eyes were pupil-less and a white-silver color. She was rather attractive, in a unearthly sort of way. She looked at Naruto in surprise.

"You can see me?"

"Yeah. It's kind of hard not to notice when someone enters your room, and not using the door like normal people!" Cute as she was, that was no excuse for rudeness.

"But...you shouldn't be able to. I'm..."

"A spirit. I know. I can see ghosts. Now what are you doing in my room?"

The soul reaper nodded. This boy could see ghosts, that explained it. That strange soul pressure she had been following must've been him. And that voice.

"You were the boy that warned me earlier."

"When you were fighting that thing, while I was in school?" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. That really had happened. 'In your face, Sai!'

"Yes. Thank you. If you hadn't called out, I probably wouldn't have won."

"Well, glad to be of service then," Naruto shrugged, feeling a little odd. People usually weren't this polite to him. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Sorry. I'm looking for another hollow. Although, I think I was following your soul pressure instead of the hollow's."

Naruto nodded. It looked like it was just a big misunderstanding. But...how could she mistake him for a hollow? That was the weird bit.

Naruto was just about to ask that question, when an ear-splitting scream sundered the night. The Soul Reaper tensed, and her hand flew to the sword at her side. With a look at Naruto that clearly meant, "Stay here", she took off after the scream, not bothering to open the door. Naruto, not being one to follow orders, took off after her.

He ran out into the street, and saw a fallen street lamp flickering on and off. The girl had already engaged the hollow. Naruto stood on the sidelines, wondering how he could help. What was the point of having these powers, if he couldn't do anything with them? He picked up a rock, intending to throw it, when a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Iruka yelled, a worried expression on his face.

"Iruka. You're okay. Look, you must get inside. It's not safe here!" Naruto shouted as the road shook. Only he could see the hollow toppling backwards from a hit from the Soul Reaper.

"What's going on?" Iruka demanded.

"There are spirits...fighting," Naruto said, trying to come up with some sort of logical explanation. "It's really hard to explain. I'll try to when it's all over."

"No way!" Iruka shouted, "Naruto, what can you possibly do against one of those things?"

"But I've got to... wait...you can see them?"

"Sort of," Iruka sighed, "But that's not the problem here. There's nothing we can do."

"But she needs help! There's no way she can beat that thing on her own!"

"Naruto!"

"Sorry Iruka, but I'm going to help her." Naruto glared at Iruka, his blue eyes narrowed. Iruka sighed. Sometimes there just wasn't a chance with this kid. He nodded reluctantly. Naruto smiled, and ran to help the soul reaper.

Naruto ran into the fray, throwing his rock at the hollow. It bounced off with the hollow barely noticing, it's attention fixated on the soul reaper, who stood off to the side. A blast of yellow kido struck the hollow in the eye. It reeled back in pain, flailing its arms around. The soul reaper retreated back a few steps before launching another round of kido. Naruto picked up another rock and looked for an opening. Maybe Iruka was right. There wasn't much he could do in this situation, but for some reason, he couldn't leave. It was like something was calling him to help this girl out.

And then he saw his chance. Though blinded in rage and pain, the hollow had managed to raise one of it's arms, and swiped at the soul reaper. Without much of a second thought, Naruto jumped in front of the attack, pushing the soul reaper away. He landed on the ground with a sickening thud, pain rushing through his body. He lay on the pavement. The soul reaper took the opportunity to use another kido attack, and then ran over to Naruto.

"Why did you do that? I had everything under control!" she said, sounding angry and concerned at the same time.

"Just...trying to help..." Naruto whispered. It hurt to talk. "Am I going...to die?"

"Yes," The soul reaper said, her voice filled with panic now. She wasn't supposed to involve civilians, much less human ones. What should she do? She didn't want anyone to die on her account. Not again.

"Look," She said finally, "I'll give you half my power. That will help you recover. In exchange, you have to defeat the hollow, alright?" She stood up and took out her zanpaku-to.

"Alright," Naruto breathed. "Wait. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Who are you?"

"Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga." And with that, she plunged her sword into Naruto's heart. A strong energy filled the air, and then everything seemed to happen in an instant. Hinata lay on the ground, no longer in the customary black kimono of a soul reaper. She now wore one of white, and her zanpaku-to was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto stood a few feet away, standing upright, radiating soul pressure. He now wore the soul reaper uniform, and in his hand was the biggest zanpaku-to Hinata had ever seen. The detail on the hilt was really complex, the pommel bearing the head of a fox, rather than the normal tassels.

"My power...where?" Had Naruto taken it all by accident in that exchange?

The hollow had noticed it as well, as its attention went solely to Naruto.

"What...power... mine... I... want...it..."

"Not a chance," Naruto grinned, his voice more a growl than before. Hinata gasped. His eyes were a deep crimson, as opposed to their natural blue. What had she done?

Naruto flew at the hollow, swinging the giant sword in front of him. The hollow screamed as its arm flew off. Naruto swung again, seeming to enjoy the pain he was inflicting on the hollow. Hinata was worried. This wasn't the boy that she had just saved.

"Aim for the head!" she yelled, hoping her voice would reach him, and stop this unneeded carnage. Naruto seemed to pause for a moment, a bluish tinge appearing in eyes, before finally taking over. He followed Hinata's instructions, landing a clean cut between the eyes of the hollow. Landing as it disintegrated, Naruto leant on the zanpaku-to, wondering why he was so out of breath. Had he really beaten that hollow? Even though he didn't remember anything after Hinata had stabbed him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, turning to check on her. Hinata nodded.

"I'm fine. How are you?" She asked, accepting his hand.

"Really tired. Did I really fight that thing?" He pulled her up as he asked this.

"You mean you don't remember?"

"Not a thing."

"It's alright. That's normal for your first fight. All the adrenalin," Hinata smiled, glad that he was back to normal. He didn't need to know about the change that came over him.

"I see. So, now what?" Naruto was currently looking at his new clothing, unsure of what had happened.

"I'm not really sure," Hinata replied, "But I guess we'll have to see."

* * *

Unbeknownst to Naruto and Hinata, another had observed the fight that night. Tobi sat on a rooftop, contemplating what he had just seen. There was definitely something about that boy. Something unnatural. It was worth observing. He opened up a portal to the spirit world. He had to tell Leader what he had seen.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you all for your patience with this chapter. I hit a long stretch of no creativity what so ever, and just recently got out of it. I refuse to apologize for taking so long, as this is my story, and I'm allowed to do what I want with it. I do however, thank you for waiting so patiently.

Brief notes about this chapter. Yes, this story is going to be a Naruto/Hinata pairing. I'm going to warn you now, there may be some Sasuke bashing, but we'll have to see because I like what I have planned for him. This is the last prologue and the story will officially start next chapter. This chapter takes place ten years after Prologue 01. I like how this chapter turned out, actually. Played around with Bleach, but it actually sounds more like Buso Renkin (Nobuhiro Watsuki's second manga, after Rurouni Kenshin). It's not my greatest chapter, but it serves as likeable. Sinister things are a foot.

Big thanks to those who reviewed, and to those who read. Please continue to do so. Things are going to pick up now, so I hope you'll stick along for the ride.

Once again, Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. Flames are not because if you have the energy to tell me what I'm doing wrong, you have the energy to tell me how to fix it.

I don't know when the next chapter will be up, as I start University next week. Please be patient, as hopefully, it will be soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**_From the desk (and new computer) of Elvengirl10._**

Hello all. Me again. Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. I know I am, in writing it. Everything's falling into place.

I've been thinking about this story, where it is, where it's going to go, what's going to happen, and it came to my attention that there are a few things that require a bit of adressing as we move into the main part of the story. Yes, everything you read prior to this chapter was a prologue. You must all be thinking, "What is she? Nuts? Three Prologues?" There is a method to my madness. First of all, I used the prologues to experiment with this world, to see what I could and could not do. Second, I hate writing flashback chapters, and since these were pivital events, I wanted to write them now, as opposed to later.

Regarding the main story, and I promise not to take to much of your time, but there are a few things I want to mention:

I am assuming that you, the reader, have a rudimentary knowlege of the series Bleach by Tite Kubo. That way I don't have to explain terms, except basically.

For the purpose of this story, ages and power levels have been changed for a few of the characters. I will adress these indivually as they arrive, and again, explain the method behind the madness. There is a reason for everything that I do, and I do make sure that it works in the story.

For the most part this story will be populated by Naruto characters, but I am planning to bring in a few Bleach characters, just to fill in a few blanks. On that note, if you see a name you don't recognize, it's probably just one I threw in there, just to give a random soul reaper a name. And no, I don't want your OCs. I have enough trouble managed the cast I have now.

With the revalation of the Fourth Hokage's name, I will be using it. So, Arashi, mentioned in Prologue 02, will be reffered to as Minato for the remained of the fic. Yes, I'm to lazy to change it, and since it's so minor, why bother?

That's about it. If you have any questions/comments/suggestions/criticisms/etc, please feel to contact me, either through review or through a direct message. I will respond to your questions. Thanks for reading this, and enjoy the chapter. Since I don't like to beat around the bush, we're starting off with a bang.

Elvengirl10.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo.

* * *

Hinata smiled to herself as she pulled back the window blinds.

It was going to be a nice day. The sun was shining, and there looked to be no clouds. There was a slight breeze blowing. No, it wasn't just going to be nice, it was going to be absolutely beautiful.

Beside her, Naruto groaned, and covered himself with his blankets, in a desperate attempt to block out the sunlight and gain a few more minutes of much desired sleep.

"Hinata, close the blind," he muttered, starting off a scenario which had become routine. Hinata had been here for a month now. Somehow, she had secured a gigai, an artificial body, and was now staying in Naruto's closet. Naruto didn't really mind. He felt rather guilty about taking all her powers, even it was unintentional. He had even taken on the role of a substitute soul reaper, until Hinata got her powers back. At the same time, he was starting to get annoyed at the late night attacks, and was still not used to having the literal "out of body" experience.

"No way, Naruto. If you don't get up now, we're going to be late for school," Hinata replied with a smile. Naruto sighed. Much as he liked Hinata, there were some aspects of her that were downright…for lack of a better word, creepy. Most of the time, she acted very shy, especially towards the other boys in the class. However, when she was with Naruto, or out fighting hollows, it was like a whole other personality took over. One that he couldn't exactly fight against.

He willed himself upright, and Hinata left the room, allowing him some privacy to change. She would probably make breakfast for him, or something. He even found his uniform washed and neatly folded. Things certainly had changed since Hinata had come here. Though for better or worse, Naruto couldn't really tell. Something strange, well, stranger that usual, was about to happen.

* * *

"Wow, Hinata actually got you here on time again," Sai said, as a greeting as Naruto slumped into his desk. "I'm really surprised. She practically has you whipped. It must be because—"

"Shut up Sai," Naruto growled, knowing what Sai was about to say. He glanced at Hinata across the classroom. She had joined Sakura and several other girls in the class in a conversation. She looked so fragile, and small. How did it work that only he received the other side of her personality?

"Don't tell me you're starting to fancy Hinata," Sai teased. "After all those years you've been crushing on Sakura, I think she'd be offended if you suddenly switched to the new girl."

"It's not like that Sai," Naruto growled. "Hinata's just a friend."

"How come you're blushing then?"

"I'm not blushing!!"

Most of the class looked at Naruto, after his outburst. Naruto turned a darker shade of red, and proceeded to focus on finishing what homework he had forgotten to do last night.

* * *

"Naruto can be so loud," Sakura sighed, leaning against a desk. She took the opportunity to gaze at Sasuke, who sat in his usual seat at the back of the class, glaring at everyone. "Hinata, I don't know how you stand it."

"Oh, well… you get used to it after awhile," Hinata replied, in a soft voice. She had to admit that she liked Naruto's energy, and his upbeat attitude. It reminded her of a few friends she had in the Soul Society. She failed to understand why most of the girls in her class were drawn to the quiet attitude of Sasuke Uchiha. Hinata found his spiritual energy to be almost intimidating, and angry. He practically radiated hatred. She resolved to get to the bottom of it before she left. Otherwise, he would end up a target for hollows.

"Hinata, could it be that you like Naruto?" Sakura asked suddenly, with a crafty smile. "I mean, you've been coming to school together a lot lately, and you seem rather close."

"No, it's not like that," Hinata squeaked, turning a bit red. "We're just friends, and I live in his neighborhood."

"You're sure? You look a little embarrassed."

"Oh, stop it!" Hinata sighed, looking away. Naruto was kind of cute, but she was only here until her powers came back and then she'd be gone. Everyone would forget about her. Such was the way of things for soul reapers.

* * *

Lunchtime finally rolled around, and Hinata, wanting to avoid more teasing, ate with Sai and Naruto. It was usually an entertaining affair, with Sai insulting Naruto half the time, and Naruto trying to get one back, usually failing. Hinata smiled, as it was just like being back at the Soul Reaper Academy. She was also glad that Sai had bought the lie that she and Naruto cooked up, to avoid revealing anything about her true identity.

Eventually, the talk turned to badmouthing Sasuke, one of Naruto's favorite things to do. He could go on and on about how annoying Sasuke was, and how he had all the attention of the girls, but clearly didn't care. He didn't see what girls liked about him, since he was so cold and distant.

"Naruto…have you noticed anything odd about Sasuke?" Hinata asked when they were alone. Sai had gotten up to go take care of a few errands.

"What do you mean? There are lots of odd things about him," Naruto replied.

"Spiritual-wise. Has he shown any sign of soul power? Or the ability to see ghosts?"

Naruto thought about it for a bit, taking a few bites of the instant ramen he had brought for lunch.

"Now that you mention it, I've seen him looking at me funny when I'm talking to a ghost," he replied, "and come to thing of it, Hinata, he's been watching you since you got here."

"He has? Do you think he suspects something?" The rest of the conversation was cut off, as Hinata's cell phone rang. Naruto looked sour. He knew what that meant. There was a hollow around, and he was going to have to kill it.

"Alright. Hit me, and let's get this over with," He said, standing up and opening his arms wide. Hinata had to use a special glove to separate his soul and body, so that he'd have a level playing field against the hollow. Hinata nodded, and started to pull on the glove, when the cell phone stopped ringing.

"Huh? What happened?"

"The hollow…it's gone," Hinata replied, surprised. Had someone else already gotten to it? But, that didn't make sense. As far as Hinata knew, no one else was patrolling this area, and she was certain that news of her situation hadn't reached the Soul Society yet. She would have heard from someone if it had. Naruto looked at her, slightly concerned.

"Was it another soul reaper?" He asked, curiously. His voice was quieter than normal, as to not draw to much attention to them.

"I…I'm really not sure. The signal was there, and then gone so quickly. Is there someone we could ask about this?"

"Well…I know a guy who knows about soul reapers and hollows and stuff like that, but, I don't think he'll be that much help in this situation," Naruto sighed. Plus Jiraiya would most likely subject him to endless teasing if he brought Hinata along. Hinata nodded, looking at the cell phone once again. Surely it wasn't broken.

* * *

"It's still bothering you, huh?" Naruto asked, as he and Hinata started to walk home.

"Yeah. I just wish I knew what happened to that hollow," Hinata sighed, glaring at her cell phone. "There has to be someone who can explain all this."

"It is pretty weird," Naruto nodded, turning down the next street. "Want to take the shortcut through the park?"

They drifted into silence, both wrapped in their own thoughts. Hinata sighed. She was reading too much into this. It must have just been a one time thing, and a particularly stupid hollow. What was she worried about?

Just as she had that thought, the cell phone in her pocket vibrated. Hinata whipped it out, and Naruto turned suddenly.

"Where is it?" he asked, trying to see the screen over her shoulder.

"Over there," Hinata said, pointing left. Indeed, a black hole had opened the sky, and a lion-like hollow was starting to emerge from wherever it came from. Hinata reached into her pocket, and pulled out the glove. Just as she was about to hit Naruto, allowing him to become a soul reaper, a brilliant flash of light flew between them, striking the hollow with amazing accuracy. The hollow faded, and the cell phone was quiet once again.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto breathed, for the light had cut rather closely.

"I wish I knew," Hinata sighed. She looked in the direction that it came from, but there was no way to determine a direct location. It definitely didn't come from a soul reaper. Of that she was certain.

* * *

They made it home without incident. Naruto slumped into a chair at the kitchen table, and turned on the TV. Absently he began surfing through channels. Hinata went upstairs to put her stuff away, still thinking about what had happened. What had caused that light? It was like an arrow or something like that. Desperately, she wracked her brains. She'd read about something like this in a textbook. If only she could access the Soul Society library right now.

Annoyed, she went back downstairs, figuring she would make dinner. It had become routine for her and Naruto to take turns, and tonight the duty fell to her. With slight lethargy, Hinata began to go through the cupboards and fridge. They really needed to go shopping soon.

"Naruto, could you run out the store for me? We need a few things for dinner."

"Huh? Oh, sure," Naruto replied, getting up. "What do you need?"

"Here's a list. I'm sure you can get all of it at the corner store. There's no need to go all the way to the grocery store. Thanks."

"No problem. I'll be right back."

* * *

It had grown quite dark when Naruto emerged from the corner store with the items needed for dinner, plus a few snacks for him. Naruto shivered. He really should have brought a coat, instead of the sweater he was wearing. But, it was so warm earlier today. Where was the summer going?

Walking briskly to keep himself warm, Naruto headed down an alleyway he knew as a shortcut. He knew the neighborhood like the back of his hand, and wasn't really worried about anything. Until an all too familiar cry filled the night. Naruto froze. There was a hollow nearby. Of all the times to be separated from Hinata. Even so, he ran towards the sound. There had to be something he could do, despite being a human.

As he rounded the corner, another bright light flashed in front of him, nearly taking his nose off, and hitting the hollow that had been coming up the sidewalk. Naruto turned to where it had come from, and at last laid eyes on his source. He blinked in surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

* * *

Hinata stared at her cell phone, as it lit up with a hollow alert, and then turned off almost as instantly. What was going on? Was the thing seriously broken?

"Seems like you're having a few problems," came a voice from behind her.

Hinata turned, and gasped.

"You!"

* * *

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked again, his hands clenched into fists. His rival stood about twenty feet away, looking rather annoyed at having met the blond. Naruto stared at Sasuke right hand, which appeared to be smoking. Was it him?

"Answer me!" he demanded.

Sasuke turned to leave.

"What did you do to that hollow just now?"

"So, you do know what they're called," Sasuke replied, turning to face Naruto once again. "I guess that soul reaper filled you in."

"How do you know about Hinata?" Naruto's head was spinning. How did Sasuke know all this? He wasn't a soul reaper to, was he? He couldn't be. He didn't even have a zanpaku-to.

The black haired boy smirked at Naruto's confusion.

"I've known since she got here, Naruto. I saw her fighting that hollow a month ago. And I know that you've taken over as a soul reaper," Sasuke replied, practically spitting the words "soul reaper". "You haven't exactly been doing a good job, so I decided to come out of the wood work, and show you how to exterminate hollows."

"But…why?" Naruto didn't get it. Sasuke had spiritual powers to? And he could fight hollows?

"I detest the very being of soul reapers." Sasuke scowled. "They can't even begin to understand the ways of the Quincy"

* * *

A/N: I know I don't really apologize for my shortcomings, but if that ending seemed slightly lame or cliched to you, I'm sorry. If I hadn't stopped here, the rest of the mini-arc would have come, as there isn't really another good place for a natural break. The double cliff-hanger here just seemed to work.

Yes, Sasuke's a Quincy. It seemed the most logical way to get him into the story, even though I really don't like him and would prefer not to have him in the story. I wanted to have several other characters in it, but since it seems stupid for them to exist without Sasuke, he had to be in here. I'm actually rather proud of his sub-plot though, as it totally worked out, and I'm able to keep him as a revenge-seeking bastard. I love it when stuff works out.

When can you expect the next chapter? I don't know. I'll get to it when I do. I'm busy now, having started school. First-year University, so obviously, fanfiction isn't to high on the priorities list.

Once again, thank you very much for a) Reading, and b) being patient. Feel free to leave a review, if you so choose. I do accept critcisms, but please not flames. If you have the energy to tell me what I'm doing wrong, you have the energy to tell me how to fix it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. I own the plot and that is all.

* * *

"Urahara, what are you doing here?" Hinata demanded, her eyes blazing. This sudden show of anger did not seem to even faze the person she was addressing, who sat lazily on the window sill. A green and white striped hat shadowed his eyes, and in the dark of the night, his expression was unreadable.

"I just came to help. Your cell phone isn't working is it?" Urahara smiled, sliding the kitchen.

"How did you know? What's going on?" Hinata's eyes narrowed. Urahara almost had to take a step back. He'd heard that Hinata had a hidden temper, under her layers of normal quietness, but never had cause to believe it. Until now.

"You've heard of the term "Quincy", haven't you?" he asked, simply. Hinata paused, concentrating on the term. She remembered it briefly from a history class she'd had in the academy. The Quincy was a group of humans who were fed up with getting attacked by hollows. As a result, they developed a way to fight back, which involved destroying the hollow completely.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Hinata asked, even though the answer was already forming in her mind.

"Why, it has to do with everything. The disappearing orders, the sudden blast of light. All those phenomenon, are being caused by a Quincy," Urahara explained, looking extremely grim.

* * *

"What the hell is a Quincy?" Naruto demanded, glaring at Sasuke.

"You don't know? Well, I'm not surprised that your little soul reaper friend was lax in telling about it," Sasuke replied, the edge still in his voice.

"You're not making any sense!" Naruto yelled. He was still trying to get his head around everything. Sasuke knew about soul reapers, could destroy hollows, and was something called a Quincy? What was going on?

"I'll make things simple for you, Naruto," Sasuke sighed. "I'm going to be the one who protects this town from now one. Your soul reaper powers aren't needed."

Naruto paused. Sasuke would be the one to protect the town? Not if he had anything to say about it. He still had his debt to pay back, and he wasn't about to lose to his rival.

"They are to," Naruto replied, cold fury in his eyes. He wasn't going to lose to Sasuke like this. "I don't care what you are or what kind of powers you have. I took on the role of substitute soul reaper, and I intend to hold true to that."

"I figured you would say that," Sasuke said, turning back to face Naruto. He reached into his pocket, and drew out a small capsule.

"What's that?"

"A challenge. When I break this capsule, it will attract thousands of hollows to this town. From there, it's simple. Whoever destroys the most hollows by the time the sun rises, wins."

"Alright," Naruto replied.

"You might want to become a soul reaper then," Sasuke smirked, snapping the capsule in half. It quickly disappeared on the wind. "It won't take very long for the hollows to catch on."

Before Sasuke had even finished his sentence, Naruto was around the corner.

"Now then. Time to begin."

* * *

"A Quincy? But, I thought that they had been exterminated?" Hinata said disbelief in her tone.

"Oh, a few survived," Urahara replied, non-chalantly. "Those that are left are pretty hell-bent on revenge, I would think."

Hinata nodded. She had to agree with Urahara. Even so, why now did an advocate of the Quincies decide to step forward? She was about to question him further, when Naruto came bursting into the room.

"Hinata, quick. You gotta make me a Soul Reaper!" He demanded, completely ignoring Urahara.

"What? Why? Is there a hollow?" Hinata looked confused. It wasn't like Naruto to demand to become a soul reaper. Usually he resented the task.

"Not now, but there will be. That jerk, Sasuke, he used some thing that draws Hollows. The whole town's in danger, and I'm not gonna lose to him!" Naruto gasped.

"Wait, Sasuke?" Hinata asked, pulling out her glove. "Since when does he know about hollows?"

"He's a Quincy, whatever that is," Naruto replied, clearly focused on other things. "Just make me a soul reaper already. I am not losing to that idiot!"

"Alright," Hinata sighed, pulling on the glove, and before Naruto could say anything more, slammed her hand into his forehead. Naruto's corporeal body slumped to the floor.

"Thanks Hinata. Just put my body in my bed, so if Iruka asks, I'm sleeping," Naruto replied, running out the door without saying anything more. Hinata looked over at Urahara, surprised that Naruto hadn't noticed the man standing in his house. Urahara gave a low chuckle.

"So, shall we see what happens?" he asked.

* * *

Naruto ran out into the street, looking this way and that. Where were the hollows? If Sasuke's capsule had worked, they should be swarming the city by now. He paused. Running around blindly wasn't going to get him anywhere. He had to think. If he was a hollow, where would he go? Somewhere with lots of people. He started heading towards the school. Wasn't there a practice going on of some sort? Or a meeting? Naruto smacked his forehead. How could he have been so dumb? There were rehearsals to the school play that night. He only knew this because Sakura was in the play, and he had hung around a few times with intent of walking her home.

Desperately, he picked up his pace. He couldn't let something happen to Sakura. And there was no way in hell that he was going let Sasuke steal that glory from him.

* * *

Sasuke smiled as he loosed yet another arrow, destroying his intended target. How many was he at now…eight? Nine? Surely more than Naruto. The idiot had to take the time to run to Hinata to become a soul reaper. Couldn't he have just used a mod-soul or something like that? Of course, now that he thought of it, he recalled having heard Naruto and Hinata arguing about that same fact, and how the mod-souls weren't working for Naruto. He'd just end up swallowing them like candy. Nothing else happened. Not sparing anymore thought to it, Sasuke turned on his heal, and headed to another location. The school was probably the closest, out of all the places the hollows could attack.

* * *

Naruto landed in the courtyard, breathing rather heavily. He had practically sprinted the whole way here, and fought several hollows along the way. 'What am I at now? Five?' he wondered, running round to the auditorium. He peaked in through an open door, glad that no one could see him, and breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was fine, no attacks. He would just stay here and stand guard then. Naruto grinned, watching Sakura perform. She was amazing, and he sincerely wished that it was him up on that stage, acting across from her. He had tried to audition, but had failed rather miserably. But the fact that Sasuke was cut as well eased the pain, if only slightly.

A few minutes passed, but Naruto didn't relax his guard. Something big was coming, he could tell. The rehearsal seemed to be wrapping up. Naruto had turned away from the door, and was now facing the courtyard. Mentally, he willed the drama class to take its time, to go slowly. The more time they spent inside, the better. They were safer in there.

"Sakura, where are you going?"

"I'm just going outside. I need a breath of fresh air."

Naruto's heart sank. 'No Sakura, no! Don't come out here. Don't.' he thought. He could see the hollow now, coming out of the darkness, the light from the school glinting off its mask, causing an eerie glow. Sakura walked passed him, completely oblivious to the threat. The hollow began to advance, slowly. Naruto's hand flew to his zanpaku-to, but a bright light stopped him and the hollow in his tracks.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, surprised. "What's going on?"

Naruto growled. Dammit Sasuke.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Naruto's presence.

"I'm fine. What was that thing just now? Sakura looked worried. Something weird was going on.

Naruto watched the two of them talking. If only he wasn't a Soul Reaper. Then he'd be able to talk to Sakura, and comfort her. It was then that he saw it. A second hollow, moving in the same path as the first. Now was his chance. He ran forward, drawing his zanpaku-to, and leapt, cleaving the hollow right in half. He turned to face Sasuke.

"You idiot! How could you let this happen? You should have known there was a rehearsal tonight!" He yelled.

"It's not entirely my fault. You're the one who went along with this," Sasuke replied, coldly. Sakura looked confused. Who was Sasuke talking to?

Naruto glared at Sasuke. He sighed.

"Take Sakura home. I'll take care of anymore hollows that come around here," he said. In all honesty, he wanted to be the one that took Sakura home, but that would require his body, and he didn't have time to go get it. Sasuke remained rooted to the spot.

"I will win this competition," he said, his voice grave.

"Is it so important that you do? Why do you care so much about this?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He just turned away, and looked at Sakura.

"Tell me!"

* * *

Hinata sighed. Where had Naruto gone? 'He's never around when I need him,' she sighed. Him or Sasuke that would do. She had to figure out what was going on. With this many hollows heading towards the city, the Soul Society was going to catch on rather quickly. And then there was the weird behavior of the hollows to worry about. She sighed again. It wasn't exactly a pleasing thought. Naruto still had a little trouble fighting hollows one on one. A whole group of hollows might be too much for him. Mentally, she cursed herself. Her own powers had not returned. She was useless to him.

Hinata made her way into the park, and sighed. He wasn't here either. She'd checked just about every potential place that hollows would frequent. Was there anywhere else that she had left out? A sharp wave of spiritual energy gave her the answer she was looking for. The school.

* * *

"It's nothing you need to know about," Sasuke replied, or rather, snapped.

"I want to know, if you're willing to risk this town for whatever it is," Naruto growled. Why was Sasuke being so stubborn?

"Sasuke, who are you talking to?" Sakura finally demanded. She'd had enough. Something weird was going on, and she wanted to know what. Much as she loved Sasuke, and trusted him, she didn't like being kept in the dark.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura," said Sasuke, ignoring Naruto and brushing off the comment.

"No. I want to know. What if you're going crazy, or something," Sakura said, sounding slightly worried.

"I'm not. It's hard to explain," Sasuke replied, "To make a long story short, I can see ghosts, and I was just trying to get rid of a particularly annoying one."

"Oh…I see," Sakura said, trailing off. Sasuke could see ghosts? Real ghosts? This was new, and rather unexpected. Sakura had always had an inkling of the supernatural. She was aware of it, but had never actually seen a ghost. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Everything alright?" Sasuke asked. Why had Sakura trailed off like that? Did she see ghosts as well?

"Yeah, everything's fine," Sakura replied, smiling.

"Alright. Look, you head home alright? It's getting rather late, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you," Sasuke said.

Sakura nodded, and blushed. She started walking away awkwardly. Naruto glared, his anger against Sasuke rising. How dare he sweet-talk Sakura right in front of him? This wasn't fair! Especially in his current state, there was nothing he could do. Sasuke was going to pay, and pay dearly.

Sakura started heading for the gates, and then turned around.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke," She said with a wave. Sasuke waved back, though not as vigorously as Sakura. He wasn't sure why he did it, maybe just to make Naruto jealous. It was then that Sakura saw it. At first, she wasn't entirely sure if it was real, and just a trick of the light. But after shaking her head, and taking another look, she was certain. Something was shimmering behind Sasuke, and something that looked like a fist was rising behind his head. Naruto saw it as well. The hollow that had appeared behind Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled, barreling into him and pushing him out of the way, as Naruto leapt up, slashing through the Hollow's mask. How did Sakura know? He stared at her in wonder, and then looked around. Were anymore coming?

"Sakura, what was that for?" Sasuke demanded, as he tried to sit up.

"Sorry. Something was about to attack you," Sakura said, getting off him looking rather embarrassed.

"A hollow," Naruto added, looking rather triumphant. "And the great Quincy Sasuke doesn't notice it."

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, glaring at Naruto. Sakura looked hurt. "I didn't mean you, Sakura. Just that ghost I mentioned earlier."

"Look Sasuke, either walk Sakura home or get her inside. She's not safe here!"

"Naruto! What's going on?" Hinata demanded, running into the schoolyard. She was taking deep breaths, as if she had run a long way.

"Hinata! He started it," Naruto said, pointing at Sasuke.

Sakura looked at Hinata. What was she talking about? Naruto wasn't here. It was just her and Sasuke.

"And you agreed to whatever it was? Really, Naruto, show some restraint," Hinata sighed. "Sasuke, what have you done?"

"I'm showing Naruto I'll protect this town. It doesn't need Soul Reapers. A Quincy is more than enough."

"And you choose to show yourself now?" Hinata pursued. "You could have done so earlier."

"I was looking for the right opportunity. And it managed to present itself to me so wonderfully. A Soul Reaper who lost her powers and passed them off to this idiot right here," Sasuke pointed at Naruto with contempt.

"I understand that most Quincies have a hatred for Soul Reapers, and I can understand that after what happen," Hinata said, evenly, "But your hatred seems to run deeper than that."

"You are referring to the massacre," Sasuke said, "That hardly concerns me. My hatred is fueled by another incident. One that happened ten years ago! The day my parents were killed!"

Naruto froze. Sasuke was an orphan? Just like him. He never had any idea, but at the same time, Naruto had never made a point to ask about Sasuke's past.

"It happened ten years ago. Several hollows attacked, and we had gone to head them off before the Soul Reapers arrived. However, they were stronger than expected, and so my parents sent me away for safety. But I saw everything. I saw my parents struck down by hollows, and my brother did not even lift a finger to save them! And then he had the gall to leave with the soul reapers who arrived to late!" Sasuke was trembling with rage now, and practically shouting.

Sakura froze. This wasn't Sasuke. It couldn't be. He was getting so angry. The Sasuke she knew was normally calm and collected.

"You can't understand what I've been through. If those Soul reapers hadn't taken so long, my parents would still be here! That's why I need prove that I'm better. That I can respond faster than the Soul reapers. That I'm more dependable."

Hinata was surprised. She had never expected Sasuke to be so embroiled in this situation. He seemed so desperate. She was about to say something, hopefully something comforting. There was no way she could apologize but at the same time, she had to offer something. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Man, you're pathetic," said Naruto, before Hinata could say anything. "I always thought you had some good reason to be aloof, but here you're just sulking. I understand about your parents, and I'm sorry to hear that they're gone, but get over it. There are people in this world who've suffered more than you. I don't even remember my parents!"

Two surprises in one day. Hinata blinked. She hadn't expected that the reason why Naruto lived with Iruka was because he didn't have parents. She looked over at Sakura, who had the same expression. A stunned silence hung in the air.

"At least you don't have a traitorous brother to deal with," Sasuke spat. Hinata nodded. So there was the source of the hatred. Sasuke assumed that his brother had left his parents for dead, siding with the Soul Reapers. Absently, she wondered who Sasuke's brother was, and then it hit her. It couldn't be…

"Sasuke, who are you talking to?" Sakura demanded once again, breaking out of her silence. He was talking to someone, and this spirit was clearly not the annoyance that Sasuke had made him out to be. Sasuke looked away, as if her were determined not to answer.

"Sakura, Sasuke is talking to Naruto. You probably can't see him right now though," Hinata explained. She indicated to where Naruto was standing. Sakura squinted. Vaguely, she could see the same shimmer as before, and she had to admit it was Naruto-shaped. It was the hair that did it.

"Hinata, what exactly is going on?" Sakura asked. She felt like her brain was going to explode. Something big was occurring and she was just getting pulled along by the tide.

Hinata sighed. She had hoped to keep this a secret as much as she could. But to think that there were so many people around here who had the ability to see ghosts. What an interesting place this was.

"That's something I can explain, Hinata," came a voice. Hinata looked over, and saw Urahara coming lazily towards them, as if he were just out on an evening stroll and met them by chance, "You and those two over there are going to be busy."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, looking confused. Urahara didn't say anything, but just pointed upwards. Hinata followed the point, as did Naruto and Sasuke. The sky looked like it was being ripped open, and myriads of hollows were scrambling to get through. It was frightening.

Sasuke activated his bow and arrow, shooting one into the crowd of hollows. That didn't really do anything, except provide space for more hollows to crowd. Naruto gripped his zanpaku-to more tightly. They were going to come at any moment.

"Hinata, I know there are a lot of hollows, but keep them at bay for as long as you can, alright?" Urahara said, "Help's on the way. You might want to come with me, Ms. Sakura."

Sakura looked at Hinata. Should she trust this man? Hinata nodded.

"It's alright. He'll explain everything," Hinata said, turning back to face the hollows.

"If we die, I'm blaming you Sasuke," Naruto said, a slight smile on his face, "And prepare to lose this contest."

"You wish," Sasuke said, his eyes blazing.

"Now, now you two," Hinata said, "There's plenty to go around."

There was a tenseness that hung in the air. Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke had their eyes fixed on the hollows. The hollows pushed against each other, scrambling for freedom. The sky would break any moment now. Some of the hollows grinned stupidly down at the two Soul reapers and the Quincy. Others appeared to have an air of intelligence around them. Naruto tightened his grip on his zanpaku-to. One thing was certain in his mind.

This was going to be one hell of a fight.

* * *

Another exposition heavy chapter. I wanted to get alot of stuff in, especially regarding Sasuke. I hope it sounded alright. Yes, Sasuke is modelled off of Uryu, and now we see the begining of the Sasuke-subplot. Sakura will become important to.

Thanks again for being patient. Combat to come in the next chapter, which will finish off the mini-arc, and then I can start the main one. I'm surprised at the word count for this chapter. Over 3000 words. Why can't I write that much for my essays? Seriously, that bothers me.

My intent is to have another chapter this done or at least nearing completion by the end of my holiday, so hopefully there will be one around New Years. If not, I hope that you all have a happy holiday season, regardless of what tradition/religion you follow.

As usually Constructive criticism and reviews are always accepted. Flames are not, because if you have the energy to flame me, you have the energy to tell me what I did wrong. The spoiler bar has been changed. No spoilers past episode 82 please and thank you.


End file.
